Electric kettle

ABSTRACT

An electric kettle may include a body formed in a cylindrical shape having an open upper surface and an open lower surface, the body defining a space in which fluid, such as water may be contained, an upper body mounted on an upper end of the body and communicating with the open upper surface of the body, a lid seated on the upper body to open and close the open upper surface of the body, a heating module inserted and mounted through the open lower surface of the body to partition an inside of the body vertically and heat fluid inside of the body, and a base on which the lower surface of the body is seated and which transfers power applied from outside to the heating module when the body is seated. The body may include an outer body forming an outer surface and an inner body forming an inner surface. The heating module may be mounted on the inner surface of the inner body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 and 35U.S.C. 365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0032603, filed inKorea on Mar. 21, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

An electric kettle is disclosed herein.

2. Background

In general, an electric kettle is a device that is supplied withelectricity to heat a fluid, such as water contained in a main bodyusing a heating means, such as a heater. An electric kettle isconfigured such that a main body is detachable from a base to whichpower is supplied. The main body is heated in a state of being seated onthe base and is separated from the base by holding a handle and liftingthe main body. This type of an electric kettle is called many names,such as a wireless electric kettle, a wireless electric pot, and acoffee pot.

In such an electric kettle, a main body may have a complicated shape andmay be made of a plastic material so as to facilitate the arrangement ofthe internal structure. However, when the electric kettle is used for along time, harmful components of plastics or fine plastic components maybe dissolved in hot water, and the electric kettle is vulnerable toscratches, thus causing internal contamination problems.

If a main body is made of a glass material, an electric kettle isexcellent in hygiene and looks very good. However, there is a risk ofdamage due to impact, for example, the heavy weight makes itinconvenient to use, and molding is not easy.

Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0406420, which is herebyincorporated by reference, discloses a wireless electric pot that has amain body made of stainless steel and is capable of heating watercontained therein. In such a structure, the main body is made of astainless material, which is very hygienic and durable.

However, in such a structure, when water boils, a temperature of themain body also rises, which may cause burns when a user's body contactsan outer surface of the main body. Also, there is a problem that thewater is cooled quickly after the heating is completed, thus increasingpower consumption.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,091,455, which is hereby incorporated by reference,discloses an electric kettle in which a body in which water is heated isprovided with an inner container and an outer container, which are madeof stainless steel, and the body has a double-layer vacuum structure toimprove heat insulation performance. However, as the structure of thebody has the vacuum structure, there is a limitation in theconfiguration for an operation of a handle portion and the arrangementof electric wires for connecting a heater. Also, assembly workability ofthe configuration connected to the body is deteriorated, and a sense ofunity of overall appearance is deteriorated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the followingdrawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric kettle according to anembodiment;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electric kettle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III′ of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV′ of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a lid, when viewed from below, accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the lid of FIG. 5, when viewedfrom below;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lid ismounted on a body which is one component of the electric kettle of FIG.1;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an upper body which is onecomponent of the electric kettle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a partial enlarged view showing an operation portion of theupper body according to an embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a cutaway perspective view showing a connecting structure ofthe body and the upper body according to an embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a cutaway perspective view showing an inside of the electrickettle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the body according to an embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the body of FIG. 12, when viewed frombelow;

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of the body of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a partial enlarged cutaway view of a lower end of the body ofFIG. 12;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the body isseated on a base which is one component of the electric kettle of FIG.1;

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which abottom cover of the electric kettle of FIG. 1 is separated, when viewedfrom below;

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view showing a connecting structureof the body and a heating module which is one component of the electrickettle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of a heating module according toan embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the bottom cover according to anembodiment;

FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the bottom cover of FIG. 21,when viewed from above;

FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the bottom cover of FIG. 21,when viewed from below;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a base which is one component of theelectric kettle of FIG. 1, when viewed from above;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the base which is one component of theelectric kettle of FIG. 1, when viewed from below;

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing a state in which a base cover ofthe base is removed according to an embodiment;

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of the heatingmodule and the base according to an embodiment;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a body which is one component of anelectric kettle according to another embodiment;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing a state in which a heating moduleis mounted on the body; and

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIX-XXIX′ of FIG.28.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings. However, embodiments are not limited toproposed embodiments, and other regressive inventions or otherembodiments included in the scope may be easily proposed throughaddition, change, deletion, and the like of other elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric kettle according to anembodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electrickettle of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lineIII-III′ of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lineIV-IV′ of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, an electric kettle 1 according to anembodiment may be formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole and mayinclude a base 60, a body 10, an upper body 30, a heating module 50, alid 20, and a handle 40. The other components except for the handle 40may be formed in a cylindrical shape and arranged vertically. The handle40 may protrude from one side of the upper body 30.

The base 60 may be disposed on a floor surface, for example, and a powercord may be connected to the base 60 such that external power may besupplied thereto. The body 10 in an assembled state may be seated on anupper surface of the base 60. The body 10 may be formed in a cylindricalshape to define a heating space 101 in which fluid, such as water may becontained and heated. The body 10 may be supplied with power in a stateof being seated on the base 60. A power supply method of the base 60 andthe body 10 may be a power supply method by contact of a power terminal,for example. Also, the power supply method of the base 60 and the body10 may be an electromagnetic induction method. The base 60 may beprovided with a lower power module 64 serving as a primary coil, and thebody 10 may be provided with an upper power module 55 serving as asecondary coil.

The body 10 may be formed in a cylindrical shape having an open uppersurface and an open lower surface. The open lower surface of the body 10may be covered by the heating module 50, and the upper surface of thebody 10 may be covered by the lid 20. As the heating module 50 forms aportion of a lower portion of the body 10, the heating module 50 mayalso be referred to as a lower body 50.

The heating module 50 may include a heating plate 52 forming a bottomsurface of an inside of the body 10, and a heater 54 that heats theheating plate 52. The heating plate 52 may be heated by power suppliedfrom the upper power module 55. The heating module 50 may include abottom cover 56 that forms a lower surface of the body 10.

The upper body 30 may be mounted on an upper end of the body 10. Theupper body 30 may be made of a same metal material as that of the body10, or may be made of another material but have a same texture. Theupper body 30 may be formed in a cylindrical or ring shape having a lowheight. A spout 311 may protrude from one or a first end of the upperbody 30 such that fluid, such as water inside of the body 10 may bepoured.

The handle 40 may be mounted on a side opposite to the spout 311. Thehandle 40 may be mounted on a handle cover 32 that extends outward fromone or a first side of the upper body 30, and may be fixedly mounted onthe outer or a second surface of the upper body 30.

The handle 40 may include a handle frame 41 inserted into the handlecover 32 and extending downward so as to allow a user to hold thehandle; a handle deco 42 that surrounds an outer surface of the handleframe 41; and a grip portion or grip 44 forming a portion of the outersurface of the handle frame 41 facing the body 10. The handle deco 42may be made of a material including a same metal or a same appearance asthose of the body 10 and the handle cover 32. At least a portion of thegrip 44 may be made of a rubber or a silicone material, for example, soas not to slip when the user holds the handle 40.

The handle cover 32 may be provided with an operation portion 323 (seeFIG. 10). The user may input operations, such as an on-off operation ora temperature control operation, through operation of the operationportion 323. A handle printed circuit board (PCB) 43 may be providedinside of the handle cover 32, that is, inside of the handle 40. Anelectric wire L that connects the handle PCB 43 and the heating module50 may pass through the body 10. The handle cover 32 may be furtherprovided with a display 322 that displays an operating state of theelectric kettle 1.

The open upper surface of the electric kettle 1, that is, the uppersurface of the upper body 30, may be covered by the lid 20. The lid 20may form the upper surface of the electric kettle 1 in a closed stateand may contact a circumference of the upper body 30 to seal an insideof the electric kettle 1. When the electric kettle 1 is tilted in astate in which the lid 20 is closed, the electric kettle 1 may beconfigured such that fluid, such as water is poured from the spout 311through the lid 20.

Hereinafter, components of the electric kettle 1 will be described.Components not described among the components shown in FIGS. 3 and 4will be described hereinafter.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lid, when viewed from below,according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view ofthe lid of FIG. 5, when viewed from below. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectionalview showing a state in which the lid of FIG. 5 is mounted on the bodywhich is one component of the electric kettle.

As shown, the lid 20 may be formed in a shape corresponding to an innercross-section of the electric kettle 1. An appearance of the lid 20 maybe formed by combining an upper case 22 forming an upper appearance anda lower case 23 forming a lower appearance.

The upper case 22 may form an upper surface and a portion of acircumferential surface of the lid 20, and a lid handle 21 may bemounted at a center of the upper case 22. A coupling hole 211 may beformed at a center of the lid handle 21, and a screw 223 a that passesthrough the center of the upper case 22 may be coupled to the couplinghole 211. A lid protrusion 223 b and a lid groove 212 connected to eachother may be respectively formed on lower surfaces of the upper case 22and the lid handle 21 to prevent the lid handle 21 from rotating.

The upper case 22 may include a circular upper surface 221 and acircumferential surface 222 that extends downward from a circumferenceof the upper surface 221. A lid connecting portion 223 that protrudesdownward may be formed at a center of the upper surface 221. The lidconnecting portion 223 may be formed in a circular shape, and an innerportion of the lid connecting portion 223 may be recessed to define aspace in which the handle lid 20 may be seated. A groove 223 c intowhich a lower rib 233 described hereinafter may be inserted may beformed at an extended lower end of the lid connecting portion 223.

A plurality of reinforcing ribs 226 may be formed radially from an outersurface of the lid connecting portion 223 to the circumferential surface222 of the upper case 22. A fluid outlet 222 a that passes through thecircumferential surface 222 may be formed at one or a first side of thecircumferential surface 222 of the upper case 22. The fluid outlet 222 amay be formed at a position corresponding to spout 311 as a portion thatbecomes an outlet of the lid 20 when fluid, such as water inside of theelectric kettle 1 is poured. The fluid outlet 222 a may be formed in agrill-like shape as shown, or may include a plurality of holes.

Inner walls 224 that extend rearward may be formed at both sides of thefluid outlet 222 a. The inner walls 224 may be formed along acircumference of a fluid inlet 231 described hereinafter. A front end ofinner wall 224 may be in contact with both ends of the fluid outlet 222a. An open lower end of the inner wall 224 may be covered by the lowercase 23 when the upper case 22 and the lower case 23 are connected toeach other, and may define a fluid outlet space 224 a to communicate thefluid inlet 231 and the fluid outlet 222 a. Therefore, fluid such aswater flowing into the fluid inlet 231 may be discharged to the fluidoutlet 222 a through the fluid outlet space 224 a. That is, fluid, suchas water inside of the electric kettle 1 may be poured through the spout311 after passing through the lid 20.

The lower case 23 may be formed in a disk shape corresponding to theupper case 22, and a circumference of the lower case 23 may be connectedto a circumference of the upper case 22. Lower rib 233 may protrude froma central portion of the lower case 23 corresponding to the lidconnecting portion 223. The lower rib 233 may be inserted into thegroove 223 c formed at the end of the lid connecting portion 223, andmay be joined to the groove 223 c by, for example, ultrasonic welding inan inserted state. A lid gasket groove 234, on which lid gasket 24 maybe mounted, may be formed on the circumference of the lower case 23.

The lid gasket 24 may be formed in a ring shape and may be made of arubber or a silicone material, for example. The lid gasket 24 may be inclose contact with an inner circumferential surface of the upper body 30in a state in which the lid 20 is mounted on the electric kettle 1,thereby sealing the inside of the electric kettle 1.

A gasket rib 241 that protrudes outward may be formed on an outersurface of the lid gasket 24. The gasket rib 241 is a portion that isconfigured to be substantially in contact with the inner circumferentialsurface of the upper body 30. The gasket rib 241 may be completely incontact with the inner circumferential surface of the upper body 30while being deformed when the lid 20 is mounted or removed.

A filtering member 25 may be mounted on the fluid inlet 231. Thefiltering member 25 may cover the fluid inlet 231 to filter foreignmatter from fluid, such as water flowing toward the fluid inlet 231. Thefiltering member 25 may include a filter frame 251 having an opencentral portion and a filter 252 that covers the opening. For example,the filter 252 may be provided with a mesh.

The filtering member 25 may be detachable from the fluid inlet 231. Whenthe filtering member 25 is not required, the filtering member 25 may beseparated from the lid 20 so as to discharge fluid more smoothly.

The filter frame 251 may be formed in a size corresponding to a size ofthe fluid inlet 231. A sliding rib 253 may protrude from both lateralends of the filter frame 251, and a filter restraint protrusion 254 maybe formed behind the sliding rib 253. The filter restraint protrusion254 may protrude toward both sides at a position spaced apart from arear end of the filter frame 251.

A sliding groove 232, into which the sliding rib 253 may be inserted,may be formed at both sides of the fluid inlet 231. The sliding rib 253may guide movement of the filtering member 25 while moving along thesliding groove 232.

A filter restraint portion 232 a, on which the filter restraintprotrusion 254 may be caught and restrained, may be formed at a rear ofthe sliding groove 232. In a state in which the filtering member 25 ismounted on the fluid inlet 231, the sliding rib 253 may be accommodatedinside of the sliding groove 232, and the filter restraint protrusion254 may be caught and restrained on the filter restraint portion 232 a.Therefore, the filtering member 25 may maintain a mounted state, and ifnecessary, may be slidably separated by pulling forward.

The gasket rib 241 may protrude outward along a circumference of the lidgasket 24, but the gasket rib 241 is not formed at a portioncorresponding to the fluid inlet 231. That is, a gasket recess 242 maybe formed in the lid gasket 24 corresponding to the fluid inlet 231.Therefore, even in a state in which the lid gasket 24 is mounted on thelid 20, the lid gasket 24 and the filtering member 25 may be preventedfrom interfering with each other even if the filtering member 25 isslidably detached from the fluid inlet 231.

The lid 20 may be seated on the upper body 30 in a state of beinginserted into the open upper surface of the electric kettle 1. In astate in which the lid 20 is seated on the upper body 30, the upper endof the upper case 22 is positioned at a same height as a height of theupper end of the upper body 30. Therefore, the lid 20 and the upper body30 may have a sense of unity.

Hereinafter, a seating structure of the lid 20 and a structure of theupper body 30 will be described. Components not described among thecomponents shown in FIG. 7 will be described below.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of an upper body which is onecomponent of the electric kettle of FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a cutawayperspective view showing a coupling structure of the body and the upperbody of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged view showing a handlecover of the upper body of FIG. 8.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the upper body 30 may be mounted on the upperend of the body 10, and the lid 20 may be seated thereon. The upper body30 may include a body top 31, a seating member 34 connected to the bodytop 31, and a pair of packings 33 and 35 provided in the seating member34.

The body top 31 may be made of a metal material, for example, and may besurface-processed to have a same texture as the body 10. When the upperbody 30 is mounted on the upper end of the body 10, only the body top 31may be exposed to the outside, and the seating member 34 may be fixed tothe upper end of the body 10. In this state, the body top 31 and theouter surface of the body 10 may be coplanar.

The body top 31 may be formed in a ring shape having a same innerdiameter and outer diameter as those of the body 10. The body top 31 mayprovide a space for accommodating the lid 20 therein.

The recessed spout 311 may be formed at an upper end of one or a firstside of the body top 31. The handle cover 32 may be provided at theother or a second side of the body top 31 facing the spout 311.

The handle cover 32 allows the handle 40 to be mounted, may be made of aplate-shaped metal material, and may be formed to accommodate the upperend of the handle 40. The handle cover 32 may form an operation portionon the upper surface 325, and the side surface 326 may extend downwardalong a circumference of the upper surface of the handle cover 32. Inthis case, the upper surface 325 of the handle cover 32 may bepositioned at a same height as that of the upper end of the body top 31,and the lower end of the side surface 326 of the handle cover 32 maycorrespond to the lower end of the body top 31. The open front end ofthe handle cover 32 may have a shape corresponding to the outer surfaceof the body top 31 and may be connected by, for example, welding.

A body top opening 313 may be formed at the lower end of the body top 31corresponding to the handle cover 32. The body top opening 313 maycommunicate with a front end of the handle cover 32, and may be formedin a shape recessed at the lower end of the body top 31. The body topopening 313 may form a hole passing through the body 10 when the upperbody 30 and the body 10 are connected to each other, and form anelectric wire outlet through which an electric wire L connected to theheating module 50 may pass inside of the handle cover 32 and the handle40.

As shown in FIG. 10, an upper surface of the handle cover 32 may beprovided with operation portion 323 for the user to perform a pressoperation and display 322 that displays the operating state of theelectric kettle 1. The operation portion 323 may be formed on the handlecover upper surface 325 by, for example, printing or surface processing.A switch or a sensor 430 a may be provided below the operation portion323, that is, at a corresponding position inside of the handle cover 32to sense the operation performed on the operation portion 323.

The display 322 may display a temperature of fluid inside of theelectric kettle 1. The display 322 may include a plurality of holes 321,and light emitting diode (LEDs) disposed below the plurality of holes321 may be turned on to illuminate the plurality of holes 321.Temperatures may be displayed in the corresponding plurality of holes321 by, for example, printing or surface processing. The user may checklighting of the corresponding hole 321 to know a current fluidtemperature. In order to implement the operation portion 323 and thedisplay 322, the handle PCB 43 may be disposed inside of the handlecover 32.

A packing groove 312 may be formed along a lower end of an inner surfaceof the body top 31. The packing groove 312 is a groove in which theupper packing 33 may be mounted and enable a fixed mounting and sealingof the seating member 34.

The seating member 34 may be, for example, injection-molded with aplastic material and may connect the upper body 30 and the body 10 andallow the lid 20 to be seated. That is, the seating member 34 may beformed in a ring shape and may include a seating member upper portion341 coupled to the upper body 30 and a seating member lower portion 342coupled to the body 10. The seating member upper portion 341 may extendvertically and may be sealed in contact with the lid gasket 24 when thelid 20 is mounted.

An upper packing mounting portion 345, on which the upper packing 33 maybe mounted, may be formed on an outer surface of the seating memberupper portion 341. An inner surface of the upper packing 33 may beformed in a shape corresponding to the upper packing mounting portion345 and may be connected to the upper packing mounting portion 345 in asealed state. The body top 31 and the seating member 34 may be connectedto each other by the upper packing 33 and may have a sealed structure.

The seating member lower portion 342 may be formed to be slanted suchthat an inner diameter is narrowed toward a lower side, and a pluralityof lid supports 343 may be formed on an inner surface thereof. Each lidsupport 343 may protrude such that an upper end is in contact with alower surface of the lid 20, and the plurality of lid supports 343 maybe disposed in a direction facing each other.

A lower packing mounting portion 346, on which the lower packing 35 maybe mounted, may be formed on an outer surface of the seating memberlower portion 342. The lower packing 35 may be coupled to the innersurface of the body 10 in a state in which the lower packing 35 ismounted on the lower packing mounting portion 346. Therefore, theseating member 34 and the upper body 30 may be connected to the body 10and may have a sealed structure.

In a state in which the upper body 30 is mounted, the seating member 34is fixed to the body top 31 by the upper packing 33. Therefore, theupper end of the body 10 is inserted between the body top 31 and theseating member 34 so as not to be exposed to the outside. As the lowerpacking 35 fixed to the lower end of the seating member 34 is insertedinto a body restraint groove 124 formed at the upper end of the innersurface of the body 10, the upper body 30 may maintain the state ofbeing connected to the body 10.

In a state in which the upper body 30 is mounted on the body 10, aninner diameter of a lower end of the upper body 30 may be equal to theinner diameter of the body 10, and an outer diameter of the upper body30 may be identical to the outer diameter of the body 10. Therefore, ina state in which the upper body 30 and the body 10 are connected to eachother, stepped portions are not formed at both the inside and theoutside, and the upper body 30 and the body 10 may form a same plane.

Hereinafter, structure of the body 10 will be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 11 is a cutaway perspective view showing an inside of the electrickettle of FIG. 1. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the body according toan embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the body of FIG. 12,when viewed from below. FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of thebody of FIG. 12. FIG. 15 is a partial enlarged cutaway view of the lowerend of the body of FIG. 12.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 15, the body 10 may be formed in a cylindricalshape and may be formed to have the same outer diameter as those of thebase 60 and the upper body 30. The body 10 may be formed in acylindrical shape open vertically, and the open lower surface of thebody 10 may be covered by the heating module 50 described hereinafter.That is, fluid, such as water contained in the body 10 may be heated bythe heating module 50.

The body 10 may include an inner body 12 and an outer body 11, and aspace may be formed between the inner body 12 and the outer body 11,thereby providing significantly improved heat insulation performance ascompared with a single wall structure.

The inner body 12 and the outer body 11 may be made of a same stainlesssteel material. The outer body 11 may form an appearance of the body 10,and the inner body 12 may form a space in which fluid may be contained.The inner body 12 has a diameter smaller than that of the outer body 11,and thus, the inner body 12 may be accommodated inside of the outer body11. Therefore, a space 102 may be formed between the outer body 11 andthe inner body 12.

The space 102 between the outer body 11 and the inner body 12 may havean air layer formed therein to prevent heat from being directlytransferred to the outer body 11. Therefore, the space 102 may bereferred to as “heat insulation space 102”. The outer body 11 maymaintain a relatively low temperature even when the fluid contained inthe inner body 12 is heated to a hot state.

The heat insulation space 102 may communicate with a space in which theheating module 50 is disposed and an inner space of the handle 40.Therefore, the electric wire L connected to the handle PCB 43 disposedat the handle 40 may pass through the heat insulation space 102 betweenthe outer body 11 and the inner body 12 and be guided to the space inwhich the heating module 50 is disposed. Therefore, the space betweenthe outer body 11 and the inner body 12 may be referred to as an“electric wire passage” or an “electric wire guide space”.

The body 10 may be formed by connecting the upper ends and the lowerends of the outer body 11 and the inner body 12 formed in thecylindrical shape. For example, the upper ends and the lower ends of theouter body 11 and the inner body 12 may be connected to each other in astacked state by, for example, welding. In this case, other portionsexcept for the upper ends and the lower ends of the outer body 11 andthe inner body 12 may be spaced apart by a predetermined interval toform a heat insulation structure.

A structure of the upper end of the body 10 will be describedhereinafter. An outer upper end portion 112 may be formed at the upperend of the outer body 11. The outer upper end portion 112 may extendupward to form the upper end of the outer body 11, but may be formed inan inwardly stepped shape. The outer upper end portion 112 may beinserted into the upper body 30, and the outer surface of the upper body30 and the outer surface of the outer body 11 may be coplanar.

An inner upper end portion 122 may be formed at the upper end of theinner body 12. The inner upper end portion 122 may extend upward to formthe upper end of the inner body 12. The inner upper end portion 122 mayextend to a same height as that of the outer upper end portion 112 andmay be in surface contact with the outer upper end portion 112. Theouter upper end portion 112 and the inner upper end portion 122 may beinserted into a space between the body top 31 and the seating member 34of the upper body 30 in a connected state. Therefore, the upper end ofthe body 10 may be covered by the upper body 30 so as not to be exposed.

An inner slant portion 123 may be formed along a lower end of the innerupper end portion 122. The inner slant portion 123 may slanted such thatan inner diameter thereof is narrowed toward a lower side, and may havea slant corresponding to a slanted lower portion of the seating member34. Therefore, the inner slant portion 123 enables the seating member 34to be stably supported.

The body restraint groove 124 may be formed along a lower end of theinner slant portion 123. The body restraint groove 124 may be recessedoutward such that the lower packing 35 mounted on the upper body 30 maybe press-fitted. In order to mount the upper body 30, the upper body 30may be inserted from above the body 10. In this case, the lower packing35 may be press-fitted into the body restraint groove 124 to allow theupper body 30 to be fixed. The inner body 12 may extend downward from anend of the body restraint groove 124 and may extend downward in parallelwith the outer body 11 while maintaining a predetermined distance.

An outer cutout portion 111 and an inner cutout portion 121 may berespectively formed at the upper end of the inner body 12 and the upperend of the outer body 11, which correspond to the mounting position ofthe handle cover 32. The outer cutout portion 111 and the inner cutoutportion 121 may be formed at a same position and may be formed at aposition corresponding to the mounting position of the handle 40. Theouter cutout portion 111 and the inner cutout portion 121 maycommunicate with the open front surface of the handle cover 32.Therefore, when the upper body 30 is mounted on the body 10, the bodytop opening 313, the outer cutout portion 111, and the inner cutoutportion 121 may be positioned at positions corresponding to each other,electric wire outlet 103 through which the electric wire L guidedthrough the heating space 101 between the inner body 12 and the outerbody 11 enters and exits may be formed.

A packing mounting portion 127 may be formed at a lower portion of theinner surface of the inner body 12. The packing mounting portion 127 maybe provided to mount the heating module 50 and may protrude along theinner surface of the inner body 12 at a position corresponding to themounting position of the heating module 50. The packing mounting portion127 may be positioned slightly above the lower end of the outer body 11.Therefore, the heating module 50 may be mounted such that the heatingmodule 50 may be accommodated inside of the inner body 12.

The packing mounting portion 127 may be formed by bending the inner body12 and may be formed such that a plate packing 51, which is onecomponent of the heating module 50, may be caught and restrained. Aplate mounting portion 126 having an inner diameter larger than that ofthe packing mounting portion 127 may be formed at a lower end of thepacking mounting portion 127. The plate mounting portion 126 is aportion in which a heating plate 52 described below may be fixedlymounted and may have an inwardly recessed structure. In this case, aninner diameter of the plate mounting portion 126 may be equal to aninner diameter of the inner body 12 above the packing mounting portion127. The plate mounting portion 126 has an inner diameter larger thanthat of the packing mounting portion 127 and an inner lower end portion125 described hereinafter. A vertical width of the plate mountingportion 126 may be determined according to the vertical width of thepacking mounting portion 127.

An electric wire inlet 128 through which the electric wire L may passmay be formed on one or a first side of the plate mounting portion 126.The electric wire inlet 128 is a hole through which the electric wire Lconnected to the heating module 50 may pass and may be open at the firstside of the plate mounting portion 126 corresponding to the position ofthe handle 40. That is, the electric wire inlet 128 may be positioned ona same extension line as the electric wire outlet 103 below the electricwire outlet 103. Therefore, the electric wire L introduced into theelectric wire inlet 128 may pass through the space between the innerbody 12 and the outer body 11 and may be guided to the inside of thehandle cover 32 through the electric wire outlet 103 disposed at theupper end of the body 10.

The inner lower end portion 125 forming the lower end of the inner body12 may be formed at the lower end of the plate mounting portion 126. Theinner lower end portion 125 may be bent and extend downward from thelower end of the plate mounting portion 126.

An inner diameter of the inner lower end portion 125 may be greater thanor equal to the inner diameter of the packing mounting portion 127 suchthat the heating module 50 may be inserted through the inner lower endportion 125. The inner lower end portion 125 may extend further downwardthan the outer body 11 and may be connected to the bottom cover 56described hereinafter.

The lower end of the outer body 11 may extend to the lower end of theplate mounting portion 126 of the inner body 12. An outer lower endportion 113, which is bent toward the inner side, that is, the outersurface of the inner body 12, may be formed at the end of the outer body11 corresponding to the plate mounting portion 126.

The outer lower end portion 113 may be formed at a height correspondingto a lower end of the plate mounting portion 126 and may extend to anouter end of the inner body 12. That is, an extended end of the outerlower end portion 113 may come into contact with the lower end of theplate mounting portion 126 or an upper end of the inner lower endportion 125. The outer lower end portion 113 may be connected to thelower end of the plate mounting portion 126 or the upper end of theinner lower end portion 125 by, for example, welding. Therefore, theinner body 12 and the outer body 11 have a structure in which the upperend and the lower end are connected to each other.

A body hole 114 may be formed along the outer lower end portion 113. Aplurality of body holes 114 may be disposed along the outer lower endportion 113 at regular intervals. The body holes 114 may be formed in ashape in which an extended end of the outer lower end portion 113 is cutaway. Remaining portions of the outer lower end portion 113 except forthe body hole 114 come into contact with the outer surface of the innerbody 12. Therefore, the body hole 114 may naturally become an openingcommunicating with a space between the inner body 12 and the outer body11 in the process in which the outer lower end portion 113 is connectedto or comes into contact with the outer surface of the inner body 12.

The body 10 may be made of a stainless steel material and may be formedby a process such as welding, for example. Therefore, the body 10 may besmoothed by electropolishing and maintain a smooth surface in theinternal space in which fluid is contained. Also, inner and outersurfaces of the body 10 may have corrosion resistance throughelectropolishing. For this reason, the body 10 may be subjected to theelectropolishing process after the inner body 12 and the outer body 11are connected to each other.

In order for electropolishing in a state in which the inner body 12 andthe outer body 11 are connected to mold the body 10, electropolishingmay be performed after the body 10 is immersed in an electrolyte. Inthis process, due to structural characteristics of the body 10, theelectrolyte is inevitably introduced into the heat insulation space 102between the inner body 12 and the outer body 11. That is, the electricwire inlet 128 and the electric wire outlet 103 are opened in a state inwhich the body 10 is molded, and when the body 10 is immersed in theelectrolyte, the electrolyte is introduced through the electric wireinlet 128 and the electric wire outlet 103. Therefore, the electrolyteis inevitably introduced between the inner body 12 and the outer body11.

When the body 10 is lifted after the electropolishing is completed, asshown in FIG. 25, the electrolyte between the inner body 12 and theouter body 11 may be smoothly discharged downward through the body hole114. In addition, even when the body 10 is washed after theelectropolishing is completed, the electrolyte between the inner body 12and the outer body 11 may be naturally discharged through the body hole114 when the body 10 is immersed and washed in a cleaning solution andthen lifted. Therefore, even when the electrolyte is removed after theelectropolishing process and the body 10 is washed after theelectropolishing, remaining liquids in the body 10 may be smoothlydischarged.

A see-through window 13 may be formed in the body 10. The see-throughwindow 13 allows the user to check a fluid level or boiling state offluid in the electric kettle 1 from the outside of the electric kettle 1without opening the lid. The see-through window 13 may extend in thevertical direction and may be fixedly mounted on each of the inner body12 and the outer body 11. In this case, the see-through window 13 may bemounted on the body 10 in a sealed state. The see-through window 13 mayinclude a see-through window front surface 131 exposed to the outside, asee-through window side surface 132 bent vertically along acircumference of the see-through window front surface 131, and asee-through window circumference portion 134 bent outward along anextended end of the see-through window side surface 132.

An inner mounting portion 117 and an outer mounting portion 115 formounting the see-through window 13 may be formed in the inner body 12and the outer body 11. The inner mounting portion 117 and the outermounting portion 115 may be opened at positions facing each other, suchthat the see-through window 13 passes through the body 10 and is mountedtherein.

The inner mounting portion 117 may be opened to pass through the innerbody 12. The inner mounting portion 117 may be recessed in an outwardlystepped shape and may be formed along a circumference of the see-throughwindow 13. That is, the inner mounting portion 117 extends from theinner body 12 toward the outer body 11, and the extended end thereof maybe bent inward to form an opening in which the see-through window 13 maybe mounted. The see-through window circumference portion 134 bentoutward along the circumference of the see-through window 13 may bedisposed in the stepped circumference of the inner mounting portion 117.

A see-through window gasket 135 may be mounted between the innermounting portion 117 and the see-through window circumference portion134. The see-through window gasket 135 may be sealed between the innermounting portion 127 and the see-through window circumference portion134 to prevent leakage of fluid inside of the inner body 12. Thesee-through window gasket 135 may be formed in a shape corresponding tothe see-through window circumference portion 134 and the inner mountingportion 117. The see-through window gasket 135 may be inserted along theopen end of the inner mounting portion 117 to maintain a state of beingfixedly mounted on the inner mounting portion 117.

When the see-through window gasket 135 and the see-through windowcircumference portion 134 are seated on the inner mounting portion 117,the see-through window circumference portion 134 and the inner surfaceof the inner body 12 may be coplanar. Therefore, as portions protrudinginward from the inner body 12 are not formed in a state in which thesee-through window 13 is fixedly mounted on the body 10, the internalstructure is simple and easy to clean.

The outer mounting portion 115 may be opened to pass through the outerbody 11 and may be opened in a shape corresponding to the see-throughwindow front surface 131. The outer mounting portion 115 may be benttoward the inner body 12. Therefore, the outer mounting portion 115 maysupport the see-through window side surface 132 in a close contactstate. In this case, the see-through window front surface 131 and theouter body 11 may be coplanar. Therefore, the outer surfaces of thesee-through window 13 and the outer body 11 do not protrude or are notrecessed in a state in which the see-through window 13 is mounted,thereby further improving the appearance.

In addition, the see-through window 13 may be in close contact with acircumference of the outer mounting portion 115 in a mounted state andsealed by the inner mounting portion 117 and the see-through windowgasket 135, thereby preventing fluid from leaking from the body 10. Ifnecessary, an additional gasket may be further provided along the outermounting portion 115. As the additional gasket further seals a gapbetween the outer mounting portion 115 and the see-through window 13, nogap occurs between the outer body 11 and the see-through window 13.

Hereinafter, the heating module 50 will be described with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the body isseated on a base which is one component of the electric kettle ofFIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 16, the heating module 50 may be mounted belowthe body 10. The heating module 50 may cover the open lower surface ofthe body 10 and forms the bottom surface of the heating space 101provided in the body 10. The heating module 50 may form the appearanceof the lower surface of the body 10 in a state in which the heatingmodule 50 is mounted.

The heating module 50 may include heating plate 52 forming the bottomsurface of the heating space 101, plate packing 51 that seals a gapbetween the heating module 50 and the inner body 12 around the heatingplate 52, heater 54 that heats the heating plate 52, and upper powermodule 55 that supplies power to the heater 54. The heating module 50may further include a bottom cover 56 that covers the remainingcomponents except for a portion of the upper power module 55 so as notto be exposed to the lower side of the body 10.

As the heating module 50 and the bottom cover 56 are mounted through theopen lower surface of the body 10 and form at least a portion of thelower portion of the body 10, the heating module 50 and the bottom cover56 may also be referred to as a “bottom body”. The body 10 may be seatedon the base 60 in a state in which the bottom body is completelyassembled. That is, in order to operate the electric kettle 1, the body10 in which the bottom body is assembled must be seated on the base 60.

In a state in which the body 10 is seated on the base 60, the upperpower module 55 of the body 10 and the lower power module 64 of the base60 are in contact with each other, thereby enabling power to besupplied. In this state, the heater 54 may be heated by the supply ofpower to boil fluid, such as water.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which thebottom cover of the electric kettle of FIG. 1 is separated, when viewedfrom below. FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view showing a connectingstructure of the body and a heating module which is one component of theelectric kettle of FIG. 1. FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view ofthe heating module according to an embodiment.

As shown, the heating module 50 may be disposed inside of the open lowersurface of the body 10. When the heating module 50 is separate from thebottom cover 56, the remaining components may be exposed through theopen lower surface of the body 10.

The upper power module 55 may be disposed at a center of the open lowersurface of the body 10, and the heater 54 may be provided outside of theupper power module 55 to heat the heating plate 52. The bottom cover 56may be provided with a cover PCB 563 that supplies power to the heater54.

The upper power module 55 may be disposed at a center of the heatingmodule 50. The upper power module 55 may be mounted at a center of theheater base 53. The heater base 53 may be connected to a lower surfaceof the heating plate 52, and the heater 54 may be mounted on the heaterbase 53.

The heater 54 may be a sheath heater. The heater 54 may be disposed at amore outer side than the upper power module 55 and disposed along acircumference of the heating plate 52. Both ends of the heater 54 may bespaced apart from each other at adjacent positions, and a connectionterminal 763 c may be exposed at both ends of the heater spaced apartfrom each other and may be connected to the cover PCB 563 by an electricwire.

The heater 54 may be mounted on the heater base 53. The heater base 53may be formed in a disk shape having a size corresponding to a size ofthe lower surface of the heating plate 52, and the heater 54 may bemounted on the heater base 53. The heater base 53 may be made ofaluminum or an aluminum alloy material having high thermal conductivity,for example, such that heat of the heater 54 may be uniformlytransferred to an entire plate portion 521 of the heating plate 52. Theheater base 53 and the heater 54 may be integrally formed by diecasting, for example.

A cover coupling hole 532 to mount the bottom cover 56 may be formed inthe heater base 53, and a screw that passes through the bottom cover 56may be coupled to the cover coupling hole 532 of the heater base 53. Atemperature sensor mounting hole 531 in which the temperature sensor 57may be mounted may be further formed in the heater base 53.

The heater base 53 may be mounted on the lower surface of the heatingplate 52. In this case, the heater base 53 may be in close contact withthe lower surface of the heating plate 52, and may be blazing-processed,for example, to be integrally connected to the heating plate 52 so as toeffectively transfer heat.

The heating plate 52 may form the bottom surface of the heating space101, and at a same time, the heating module 50 may be fixedly mounted onthe inside of the body 10. The heating plate 52 may be made of a samestainless steel material as the inner body 12 and may be inserted andmounted into the open lower portion of the inner body 12 in a state ofbeing connected to the heater base 53.

The heating plate 52 may be fixedly mounted on one or a first side ofthe lower portion of the inner body 12 and may form a space in which theheater base 53, the heater 54, and the upper power module 55 may bedisposed. The heating plate 52 may include plate portion 521 forming thebottom surface of the heating space 101 inside of the inner body 12, aplate rim 522 on which the plate packing 51 may be mounted around theplate portion 521, and a support 524.

The plate portion 521 may be formed in a circular shape and may have adiameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the inner body 12.Upper and lower surfaces of the plate portion 521 may have a planarstructure, and the heater base 53 may be mounted on the lower surface ofthe plate portion 521. A size of the plate portion 521 may be equal to asize of the heater base 53. Therefore, when the heater base 53 generatesheat, the heater base 53 may beat the entire plate portion 521, suchthat the entire bottom surface of the inside of the heating space 101 isheated.

A through hole 521 a may be formed at one or a first side of the plateportion 521. The through hole 521 a may be opened at a positioncorresponding to the temperature sensor mounting hole 531, and thetemperature sensor 57 may be fixedly mounted in the through hole 521 a.In this case, a sensor packing 571 may be provided around thetemperature sensor 57, and the sensor packing 571 may be mounted in thethrough hole 521 a to seal the through hole 521 a. The temperaturesensor 57 is exposed above the plate portion 521 to sense thetemperature of fluid contained in the heating space 101.

Plate rim 522 may be formed along a circumference of the plate portion521. The plate rim 522 may be vertically bent downward from thecircumference of the plate portion 521. A height of the plate rim 522may correspond to a vertical height of the plate packing 51, and a bentportion 523 bent outward may be formed at a lower end of the plate rim522 to allow the plate packing 51 to be seated on the plate rim 522.

The plate packing 51 may be mounted on the plate rim 522 and may beformed along the circumference of the plate portion 521. The platepacking 51 may seal a gap between the inner body 12 and the plateportion 521. The plate packing 51 may be inserted into the inner body 12in a state of being mounted on the plate rim 522 and may be coupled tothe packing mounting portion 127 of the inner body 12. Therefore, theheating plate 52 may be fixed to the inside of the inner body 12 by theplate packing 51, and at the same time, fluid may be prevented fromleaking between the heating plate 52 and the inner body 12.

The plate packing 51 may have packing groove 511 recessed in a shapecorresponding to the packing mounting portion 127. The packing groove511 may be formed along an outer surface of the plate packing 51, andthe packing mounting portion 127 may be inserted into the packing groove511 to fix the plate packing 51 and the heating plate 52 connected tothe plate packing 51.

A sealing portion 512 may be further formed above the packing groove511. The sealing portion 512 may be formed over the upper end of theplate packing 51 at the upper end of the packing groove 511. The sealingportion 512 may be configured such that a plurality of protrusions orribs protrude along the circumference of the plate packing 51, and maybe in contact with the inner surface of the inner body 12. The sealingportion 512 may seal a gap between the inner body 12 and the platepacking. The sealing portion 512 may protrude more outward than thepacking groove 511 to form a stepped portion and may have a structureseated on the upper end of the packing mounting portion 127.

The bent portion 523 at the lower end of the plate rim 522 may be formedin a shape slightly stepped from the plate rim 522 and may maintain astate in which the plate packing 51 is seated. A plurality of supports524 may be formed at the lower end of the plate rim 522. The pluralityof supports 524 may be arranged at regular intervals and may be arrangedalong the circumference of the plate rim 522.

The support 524 may extend downward. The support 524 may be formed to beslanted outward as the support 524 extends downward. Each of thesupports 524 may be formed in a plate shape, and thus, may beelastically deformed when a force is applied toward a center of theheating plate 52.

An extended end of the support 524 may extend to be supported to thelower end of the plate mounting portion 126. A lower end of the support524 may extend to be slanted more toward the outer side than the outerdiameter of the inner lower end portion 125. Therefore, in a process ofinserting the heating plate 52, the support 524 may be pressed incontact with the inner surface of the inner lower end portion 125 whilepassing through the inner lower end portion 125 and may be elasticallydeformed toward the inner side.

When the heating plate 52 and the plate packing 51 are inserted up tothe plate rim 522, the support 524 is restored in an outward directionwhile passing through the inner lower end portion 125, as shown in FIG.23, and the lower end of the support 524 is caught and restrained by alower edge of the plate mounting portion 126 at the inside of the platemounting portion 126. Therefore, the heating plate 52 may maintain themounted state and may maintain a firmly connected state without movingdownward to be arbitrarily separated or generating a gap.

The remaining heating module 50 except for the bottom cover 56 may becompletely accommodated inside of the body 10. When the bottom cover 56is mounted, the remaining components of the heating module 50 providedinside of the body 10 are covered and the appearance of the lowersurface of the body 10 may be formed.

A cover hole 560 c may be formed at a center of the bottom cover 56, andportion of the upper power module 55 may be exposed through the coverhole 560 c. The bottom cover 56 may be provided with a cover plate 562to open and close a portion of the bottom cover 56.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the bottom cover according to anembodiment. FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the bottom coverof FIG. 20, when viewed from above. FIG. 22 is an exploded perspectiveview of the bottom cover of FIG. 20, when viewed from below.

As shown in FIGS. 20 to 22, the bottom cover 56 may be injection-moldedof a plastic material, for example, and may be connected to the lowerend of the body 10 to cover the open lower surface of the body 10 and ata same time form the appearance of the lower surface of the body 10. Thebottom cover 56 may include a cover bottom surface 560 and a cover rim561 bent along a circumference of the cover bottom surface 560. Thecover bottom surface 560 may include a cover slant portion 560 a in thecenter of the cover bottom surface 560, and a cover flat portion 560 boutside of the cover slant portion 560 a. The cover slant portion 560 amay have a slant which decreases from the center toward the outside, andthe cover flat portion 560 b formed up to the cover rim 561 in parallelto the ground may be formed at an outer end of the cover slant portion560 a.

A cover hole 560 c may be formed at the center of the cover bottomsurface 560, that is, at a center of the cover slant portion 560 a, andthe upper power module 55 may be exposed through the upper module hole560 c. Therefore, when the body 10 is mounted on the base 60, the body10 may be in contact with the lower power module 64.

The bottom cover 56 may cover all components of the heating module 50except for the upper power module 55. A plurality of screw holes 568, towhich screws may be coupled, may be formed along a circumference of theupper module hole 560 c. The screw hole 568 may be formed at a positioncorresponding to the coupling hole 532 of the heater base 53. Therefore,the screw may pass through the screw hole 568 and be coupled to thecoupling hole 532, such that the bottom cover 56 may be firmly fixed tothe body 10.

The cover rim 561 may be formed around the bottom surface 560 of thebottom cover 56. The cover rim 561 may extend upward along thecircumference of the bottom cover 56 and may cover the inner lower endportion 125 from the outside. Therefore, when the bottom cover 56 isconnected, the cover rim 561 may cover the inner lower end portion 125from the outside. In this case, an inner surface of the cover rim 561and the outer surface of the inner lower end portion 125 may be in closecontact with each other such that the bottom cover 56 may maintain astable and firm connected state.

A plurality of bottom ribs 569 that extends radially around the uppermodule hole 560 c may be formed inside of the bottom cover 56. Theplurality of bottom ribs 569 may serve as a partition wall to reinforcea strength of the bottom cover 56 and block fluid from flowing into thecover PCB 563 when fluid leakage occurs.

An electric wire groove 569 a may be recessed in the bottom ribs 569such that the electric wires may be guided through the bottom ribs 569to the cover PCB 563. In addition, a plurality of electric wire fixingportions 566, which is formed in a ring shape so as to fix the electricwires, may be formed between the plurality of bottom ribs 569.

A central portion of the bottom cover 56, in which the upper powermodule 55 may be positioned, may be formed to be slightly high. Thecover slant portion 560 a may be formed to have a slant which decreasestoward the outside, thereby preventing fluid from flowing into the upperpower module 55 in the case of a fluid leakage situation.

A cover drain hole 567 may be formed in the cover flat portion 560 b ofthe bottom cover 56. The cover drain hole 567 may be positioned outsideof the bottom cover 56 having a relatively low height and may passthrough the cover bottom surface 560 of the bottom cover 56. Therefore,fluid introduced into the bottom cover 56 may flow outward along thecover slant portion 560 a and be discharged downward through the coverdrain hole 567, thereby preventing the fluid from accumulating inside ofthe bottom cover 56. Therefore, the upper power module 55 and the coverPCB 563 provided in the bottom cover 56 may be protected from leakage.

The bottom cover 56 may be provided with a PCB accommodating portion564. The PCB accommodating portion 564 may form a space in which thecover PCB 563 may be accommodated and may be formed in a shape in whicha lower surface and both extended ends are open. The PCB accommodatingportion 564 may be disposed over a half region of the bottom cover 56.

That is, the PCB accommodating portion 564 may be positioned on one sideof both sides with respect to the center of the bottom cover 56 and maybe positioned below the heater 54. A space in which the electric wiresconnected to the cover PCB 563, the upper power module 55, and theheater 54 are disposed may be provided at one side of the bottom cover56 opposite to a position at which the PCB accommodating portion 564 isformed. The cover drain hole 567, the bottom rib 569, and the electricwire fixing portion 566 may also be disposed at a position opposite tothe position of the PCB accommodating portion 564.

The PCB accommodating portion 564 may be formed along an accommodatingportion opening 564 a of the bottom of the bottom cover 56 and may beformed along the circumference of the bottom cover 56. The PCBaccommodating portion 564 may have a predetermined height so as toaccommodate the cover PCB 563.

Both ends of the PCB accommodating portion 564 may be open toward theinner side of the bottom cover 56. A terminal 563 c, to which theelectric wire may be connected, may be provided at an end of the coverPCB 563 exposed through the opening.

The PCB accommodating portion 564 may include a side surface portion 564c that extends vertically along an inner edge and an outer edge of theaccommodating portion opening 564 a, and an upper surface portion 564 dconnecting both ends of the side surface portion 564 c. As a mica sheet565 may be mounted on the upper surface portion 564 d, the upper surfaceportion 564 d may be referred to as a “sheet mounting portion 564 d”.

The mica sheet 565 may be formed to have a size and a shapecorresponding to those of the cover PCB 563 and be disposed on the uppersurface of the sheet mounting portion 564 d. Therefore, the cover PCB563 may be thermally and electrically insulated such that the cover PCB563 is protected from abnormal operations.

Sheet fixing portions 564 b may be formed in the sheet mounting portion564 d so as to fix the mica sheet 565. The sheet fixing portions 564 bmay be formed at both ends of the sheet mounting portion 564 d, and anadditional sheet fixing portion 564 b may be further formed between thesheet fixing portions 564 b on both sides. The sheet fixing portions 564b may restrain an end of the mica sheet 565 such that the mica sheet 565maintains a state of being mounted on the sheet mounting portion 564 d.

The cover PCB 563 may be provided inside of the PCB accommodatingportion 564 and may have a shape corresponding to the accommodatingportion opening 564 a. The cover PCB 563 may be mounted on the coverplate 562 that covers the accommodating portion opening 564 a.

The cover PCB 563 may be connected to the heater 54 and the upper powermodule 55 and may be configured to supply power to the heater 54. Thecover PCB 563 may be connected to the handle PCB 43 provided in thehandle cover 32 such that operation of the heater 54 is controlled byoperation of the operation portion 323.

The cover PCB 563 may be provided with a buzzer 563 b. When it isnecessary to notify operation of the electric kettle 1, the buzzer 563 bmay notify a state by outputting a beep sound. For example, when a poweris supplied by mounting the assembled body 10 on the base 60, the buzzer563 b may output a notification sound to allow the user to recognizethat the electric kettle is ready to operate, without checking thedisplay. Instead of the buzzer 563 b, a speaker may be provided. Thebuzzer 563 b may be referred to as a “sound output device”.

A PCB hole 563 a may penetrate through the cover PCB 563. The PCB hole563 a may be formed to have a size corresponding to that of a fixingboss 562 a protruding from the cover plate 562. Therefore, when thecover PCB 563 is mounted on the cover plate 562, the fixing boss 562 amay pass through the PCB hole 563 a. The cover PCB 563 may maintain astate of being fixedly mounted on the cover plate 562 and may bedetached together with the cover plate 562 when the cover plate 562 isdetached.

The cover plate 562 may be formed in a shape corresponding to that ofthe accommodating portion opening 564 a and may cover the accommodatingportion opening 564 a. The cover plate 562 may be provided with a pairof fixing ends 562 b and the fixing boss 562 a so as to be fixedlymounted on the bottom cover 56 in a mounted state.

The fixing boss 562 a is formed at a center of the cover plate 562 andprotrudes upward. A screw, which passes through the fixing boss 562 a,may be coupled to a coupling portion 561 b protruding downward from aninside of the PCB accommodating portion 564 to fix the cover plate 562.The fixing ends 562 b may protrude from both ends of the cover plate 562and may be inserted, caught, and restrained by both ends of theaccommodating portion opening 564 a when the cover plate 562 is mounted.The fixing ends 562 b may protrude upward and forward from the end ofthe cover plate 562 to be caught and restrained by both sides of theaccommodating portion opening 564 a.

A plurality of support ribs 562 c may protrude from the cover plate 562.The support ribs 562 c may connect an inner end and an outer end of thecover plate 562, and a plurality of support ribs 562 c may be radiallyarranged. Therefore, the cover PCB 563 may be supported from below whenthe cover PCB 563 is mounted, and the cover PCB 563 may maintain astable mounted state.

In order to use the electric kettle 1 in a state in which the bottomcover 56 is mounted on the body 10, the electric kettle 1 may be seatedon the base 60. When the body 10 is seated on the base 60, the upperpower module 55 and the lower power module 64 may be in contact witheach other and may be in a state in which power may be supplied to theheating module 50.

Hereinafter, structure of the base 60 will be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a base which is one component of theelectric kettle of FIG. 1, when viewed from above. FIG. 24 is aperspective view of the base which is one component of the electrickettle of FIG. 1, when viewed from below. FIG. 25 is a perspective viewshowing a state in which a base cover of the base is removed accordingto an embodiment. FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a mountedstate of the heating module and the base according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 23 to 26, the base 60 may be formed in a shapecorresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the body 10 and may beconfigured to allow the body 10 to be seated on an upper surface of thebase 60. Power may be supplied to the body 10 in a state in which thebody 10 is seated on the base 60, and the outer surface of the body 10and the outer surface of the base 60 may be coplanar, thereby providinga sense of unity.

An overall appearance of the base 60 may be formed by base cover 61forming the upper surface, base body 62 forming the lower surface, andside plate 63 forming a circumferential surface between the base body 62and the base cover 61.

The base cover 61 may have a diameter corresponding to that of the body10 and may be formed to allow the lower surface of the body 10 to beseated. The base cover 61 may include a base upper surface 611 formingthe upper surface of the base 60, and a base cover rim 612 thatprotrudes upward along a circumference of the base upper surface 611.

The base upper surface 611 is a portion on which the bottom cover 56 maybe seated when the body 10 is mounted on the base 60, and may be formedin a shape corresponding to that of the bottom surface of the bottomcover 56. That is, a lower module hole 611 c, through which the lowerpower module 64 may pass, may be formed at a center of the base uppersurface 611. The lower power module 64 may protrude upward through thelower module hole 611 c.

The base upper surface 611 may include an upper slant portion 611 a andan upper flat portion 611 b. The upper slant portion 611 a may beslanted from the lower module hole 611 c toward the outside. The upperflat portion 611 b may be formed to be horizontal to the ground from theupper slant portion 611 a to the base cover rim 612. Therefore, the baseupper surface 611 may be formed in a shape in which a central portionfrom which the lower power module 64 protrudes slightly protrudes, andthus, even when fluid leakage occurs in the body 10, fluid does not flowinto the lower power module 64 but flows toward the upper flat portion611 b.

An upper drain hole 613 may be formed in the upper flat portion 611 b.The upper drain hole 613 is a passage for draining fluid flowing down tothe base 60 under the base 60 and may be open at an outer end of theupper flat portion 611 b. A plurality of upper drain holes 613 may beformed in a direction facing each other. In addition, a hole guide 613 athat extends downward may be formed around the upper drain hole 613. Thehole guide 613 a may extend to a position adjacent to a bottom surfaceof the base body 62 and may guide fluid to be discharged to lower drainhole 624 described below.

The base cover rim 612 may be formed at a height equal to or slightlyhigher than that of the bottom cover 56. The base cover rim 612 maysupport the outer lower end portion 113 when the body 10 is mounted.

The base body 62 may include a base bottom surface 621 formed in a diskshape having a size corresponding to that of the base cover 61, and abase rim 622 bent upward along a circumference of the base bottomsurface 621. A center of the base body 62 may protrude upward, and apower module mounting portion 623 on which the lower power module 64 maybe mounted may be formed at the protruded central portion. The lowerpower module 64 may be disposed at a position corresponding to the upperpower module 55 and may protrude upward through the lower module hole611 c. Therefore, when the body 10 is seated on the base 60, the upperpower module 55 and the lower power module 64 may be in contact witheach other to thereby be capable of supplying power.

A plurality of base coupling bosses 625 may be formed outside of thepower module mounting portion 623. The plurality of base coupling bosses625 may be spaced apart from the power module mounting portion 623. Thebase coupling boss 625 may protrude upward and may extend through thebase PCB 65 inside of the base body 62. Screws may be coupled to thebase coupling bosses 625, and the screws may be coupled to the basecover 61 by passing through the base coupling bosses 625. Therefore, thebase body 62 and the base cover 61 may be firmly connected to each otherby the screws.

The base PCB 65 may be mounted along a space between the power modulemounting portion 623 and the base rim 622 and may be formed in acorresponding shape. The base PCB 65 may be connected to the lower powermodule 64 and a power connector 66 described hereinafter and may beconfigured to control operation and power supply of the lower powermodule 64.

A lower drain hole 624 may be formed in the base bottom surface 621adjacent to the base rim 622. The lower drain hole 624 may be formed ata position corresponding to the upper drain hole 613. A partition wall624 a that extends upward may be formed in a circumference of the lowerdrain hole 624. The lower drain hole 624 may be a passage through whichthe fluid flowing down through the upper drain hole 613 and the holeguide 613 a may be discharged to the outside of the base 60 and may passthrough the base bottom surface 621. The partition wall 624 a forms aspace partitioned such that fluid flowing toward the lower drain hole624 does not overflow to the outside, and a lower end of the hole guide613 a is accommodated inside of the partition wall 624 a. The partitionwall 624 a may be formed to be higher than a lower end of the hole guide613 a and may be connected to the base rim 622. A plurality of lowerdrain holes 624 and a plurality of partition walls 624 a may be formedspaced apart from each other.

In addition, a base hook 628 may be formed at one or a first side of thebase rim 622. The base hook 628 may be formed by cutting out a portionof the base rim 622 and may extend upward. An end of the base hook 628may be caught and coupled to a base connecting portion of the base cover61. The base body 62 and the base cover 61 may maintain a connectedstate by connection of the base hook 628 and the base connecting portion614. A plurality of base hooks 628 may be formed along the base rim 622,and thus, a circumferential surface of the base 60 may maintain a firmconnected state.

A connector mounting portion 627, to which the power connector 66 may beconnected, may be formed at one or a first side of the base body 62. Thepower connector 66 may be a portion connected to an end of a power cableincluding a plug connected to an outlet and may be formed such that thepower cable is detachable. The power connector 66 may be exposed to theside of the base 60 and may be mounted on the connector mounting portion627.

The connector mounting portion 627 may be opened to allow the powerconnector 66 to be inserted thereinto, and the portion opened throughthe opening of the side plate 63 may be exposed to the outside. The openend of the connector mounting portion 627 may protrude more than an endof the power connector 66 and may be formed in a shape protruding fromthe side plate 63. Therefore, when fluid overflows or flows down to thebase 60, the fluid may be blocked from flowing into the side plate 63.

The side plate 63 connects the base body 62 to the base cover 61 and mayform a side circumference of the base 60. The side plate 63 may be madeof a same metal material as that of the body 10, and the side plate 63and the body 10 may have a sense of unity in a state in which the body10 is mounted on the base 60.

Upper and lower ends of the side plate 63 may be bent, and the ends ofthe base body 62 and the base cover 61 may be supported. A side opening631, which is cut to expose the connector mounting portion 627, may beformed in the side plate 63.

Hereinafter, operation of the electric kettle having the above-mentionedstructure according to an embodiment will be described.

In order to use the electric kettle 1, the user may connect the powersupply by inserting the power cable connected to the base 60 into theoutlet. In this state, fluid, such as water may be filled in the heatingspace 101 inside of the body 10, and the body 10 may be placed on thebase 60.

When the body 10 is seated on the base 60, the upper power module 55 andthe lower power module 64 are in contact with each other and are in astate in which power may be supplied from the base 60 to the body 10.The buzzer 563 b may output a notification sound when the body 10 isseated on the base 60, and the notification sound of the buzzer 563 bmakes it possible for the user to recognize that the body 10 is normallyseated on the base 60 and is in an operable state.

Next, the user may start heating of the heater 54 by operating theoperation portion 323 of the handle 40. At this time, the user may checka set temperature through the display 322, and may operate the operationportion 323 to start heating a fluid, such as water contained in theheating space 101.

Operation of the heater 54 may be started according to the operation ofthe operation portion 323, and the fluid contained in the heating space101 may be heated by heat of the heater 54. When the temperature sensor57 senses that the fluid inside of the heating space 101 reaches a settemperature, the heater 54 may stop operating and the electric kettle 1completes the operation.

When the operation of the electric kettle 1 is completed, the buzzer 563b may output a beep sound notifying completion of the operation. Theuser may hold the handle 40 and lift the body 10 to separate the base60, and may tilt the electric kettle 1 to pour the heated fluid throughthe spout 311.

The electric kettle 1 may reduce or block heat conduction by the doublestructure of the body 10 in a state in which the heating of the fluid iscompleted. Therefore, even when the user comes into contact with theouter surface of the body 10, the safety of the user may be securedbecause the outer surface of the body 10 is not excessively hot. Evenwhen the heater 54 is not in operation, the temperature of the heatedfluid may be maintained for a long time.

Various embodiments other than the above-described embodiment arepossible. Hereinafter, an electric kettle according to anotherembodiment will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

This embodiment differs from the above-described embodiment in terms ofa structure of the handle. Therefore, other structures except for thestructure of the handle are the same as those in the above-describedembodiment, and detailed description thereof has been omitted and thesame or like reference numerals will be used. It is noted thatcomponents not shown are also the same as those in the above-describedembodiment.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a body which is one component of anelectric kettle according to another embodiment. FIG. 28 is aperspective view showing a state in which a heating module is mounted onthe body. FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIX-XXIX′of FIG. 28.

As shown in FIGS. 27 to 29, the electric kettle 1 according to anotherembodiment forms the heating space 101 by a body 10′. The body 10′ maybe formed in a cylindrical shape having an open upper surface and anopen lower surface. An upper body 30 may be mounted on the open upperend of the body 10′. A lower body 50′ may be mounted at the open lowerend of the body 10′.

The upper body 30 and an upper end structure of the body 10′ of theupper body 30 are the same as those in the above-described embodiment.The upper body 30 may include body top 31 and seating member 34 and maybe connected to the upper end of the body 10′. Although not shown, theupper body 30 may be provided with lid 20 to open or close the heatingspace 101. In addition, handle 40 may be mounted on or a first one sideof the upper body 30.

The body 10′ may include an outer body 14 and an inner body 15. Theouter body 14 may forms an appearance of the body 10′, and the innerbody 15 may form the space for storing fluid, such as water to beheated, that is, the heating space 101. The outer body 14 and the innerbody 15 may be made of stainless steel.

Upper ends of the outer body 14 and the inner body 15 may be joined by,for example, welding, the lower ends of the outer body 14 and the innerbody 15 may be connected to each other by lower packing 16. The outerbody 14 and the inner body 15 may be spaced apart from each other, andthe heat insulation space 102 may be formed therebetween. Therefore, theouter body 14 and the inner body 15 may form a heat insulationstructure. That is, the body 10′ may have a double wall structure toprevent a temperature of the outer surface of the body 10′ from risingto a high temperature even when the fluid inside of the heating space isheated, and the temperature of the fluid inside of the heating space 101may be maintained.

The upper end structures of the outer body 14 and the inner body 15 maybe the same as those in the previous embodiment, and the structure forconnecting to the upper body 30 may also be configured in a same manner.In particular, electric wire outlet 103 may be formed at the upper endof the body 10′ corresponding to the handle 40, and electric wire L maybe guided to the handle 40 through the electric wire outlet 103.

An electric wire inlet 163 that communicates with the lower body 50′ maybe formed below the body 10′. The electric wire L connected to base PCB65 may be introduced through the electric wire inlet 163, may passthrough the heat insulation space 102, may be guided through theelectric wire outlet 103 to the handle 40 or handle cover 32, and may beconnected to handle PCB 43. Therefore, operation of heater 54 may becontrolled by operating operation portion 323 on the handle 40.

An outer lower end portion 141, which may be bent inward and extenddownward, may be formed at the lower end of the outer body 14, and theouter lower end portion 141 may form the open lower surface of the body10′. An inner diameter of the outer lower end portion 141 may correspondto an inner diameter of the inner body 15. Although not shown, bottomcover 56 may be connected to the outer lower end portion 141 to coverthe open lower surface of the body 10′ and form the lower surface of thebody 10′.

The lower end of the inner body 15 may extend downward, but may bespaced apart from the outer lower end portion 141 of the outer body 14.Therefore, the lower end of the inner body 15 and the outer lower endportion 141 may be spaced apart from each other. In a state in which thebody 10′ is formed by the inner body 15 and the outer body 14, a surfaceof the body 10′ may be processed by, for example, electropolishing.Electrolytes in the electropolishing process or a cleaning solutionafter the electropolishing may be discharged through the space betweenthe inner body 15 and the outer body 14. That is, the space between thelower end of the inner body 15 and the outer lower end portion 141 maybe a drain hole for the electrolytes and the cleaning solution.

The lower body 50′ may be mounted inside of the inner body 15. The lowerbody 50′ may include the heater 54 and may be provided with acombination of components for heating the heating space 101 inside ofthe inner body 15. Therefore, the lower body 50′ may be referred to as aheating module 50. The configuration of the heating module 50 may beidentical to that in the previous embodiment, except tor structures ofthe heating plate 58 and the lower packing 16.

The lower body 50′ may include heating plate 58 forming a bottom of theheating space 101. The heating plate 58 may include a disk-shaped plateportion or plate 581 having a size equal to a cross-sectional size ofthe inner body 15, and a circumference portion 582 bent downward from acircumference of the plate portion 581.

The circumference portion 582 may be in surface contact with the innersurface of the inner body 15. The circumference portion 582 may beattached to the inner surface of the inner body 15, or may be fixedlymounted by various methods, such as welding, press fitting, or shrinkagefitting, for example. The circumference portion 582 may extend to thelower end of the inner body 15.

The lower packing 16 may be press-fitted into an opening between thelower end of the inner body 15 and the outer lower end portion 141. Aninsertion groove 161, into which the lower end of the inner body 15 andthe lower end of the circumference portion 582 may be inserted, may beformed at the upper end of the lower packing 16. Therefore, the lowerpacking 16 may seal the lower ends of the inner body 15 and the outerbody 14 by connecting the lower ends of the inner body 15 and the outerbody 14 and support the heating plate 58.

A lower end extension portion 162 may be formed at a lower end of thelower packing 16. The lower end extension portion 162 may extenddownward along an inner circumferential surface of the lower packing 16.Therefore, the lower surface of the lower packing 16 may be stepped, andthe lower packing 16 may be seated on an upper end of the outer lowerend portion 141 having a stepped shape. The lower end extension portion162 may contact an inner side of the outer lower end portion 141. Aportion of the outer surface of the lower packing 16 may be press-fittedinto the space between the inner body 15 and the outer body 14 to sealthe lower portion of the body 10′, and may support the heating plate 58in a state of being coupled to the outer lower end portion 141.

The electric wire inlet 163 may be open at one side of the lower packing16. The electric wire inlet 163 may be formed on a same extension lineas the electric wire outlet 103 and disposed on a same extension line asa position to which the handle 40 is connected. The electric wire inlet163 may communicate with the heat insulation space 102 of the body 10.The electric wire inlet 163 may communicate with the inside of the lowerbody 10, and thus, the electric wire L connected to the base PCB 65 mayenter and exit.

The heater base 53 and the heater 54 may be mounted on a lower surfaceof the plate portion 581 to uniformly heat the entire plate portion 581.Although not shown, upper power module 55 may be provided at a center ofthe heater base 53. The bottom cover 56 may be mounted on the open lowersurface of the body 10′ to cover the internal configuration of the lowerbody 10′ and form an appearance of the lower surface of the body 10′.

When the lower body 10′ is assembled to the body 10′, the body 10′ maybe seated on the base 60. The heater 54 may be driven by power suppliedthrough the base 60 to heat fluid in the heating space 101.

The electric kettle according to embodiments disclosed herein may haveat least the following advantages.

In the electric kettle according to embodiments disclosed herein, thestainless steel body has the double structure of the inner body and theouter body. The heat insulation space may be formed between the innerbody and the outer body. Therefore, it is possible to minimize heatgenerated during heating of fluid to the outside of the body and ensuresafety of the user.

Also, the fluid heated inside of the body may be insulated by thestructure of the body to maintain a heated temperature, and unnecessaryreheating may be prevented by maintaining the temperature, therebyreducing power consumption. The body may be formed in the cylindricalshape in which the upper end and the lower end have the same diameter,and the body and the upper body mounted on the upper end of the body maybe formed to have the same outer diameter and inner diameter. Therefore,the inside of the body may be easily cleaned and the inside may beeasily checked, thereby facilitating management.

The body may have a simple structure with the upper and lower ends ofthe inner body and the outer body connected to each other, therebyimproving assemblability and productivity. In addition, the upper bodymay be inserted and mounted into the upper end of the body, and theheating module may be inserted and mounted through the open lowersurface of the body. In this manner, components forming the body areconnected by the insertion structure such that assemblability andproductivity of the body are further improved. In particular, theheating module may be inserted into the body to partition the inside ofthe body vertically and ensure the space in which fluid is heated andthe space in which the heating module is provided, and the heatingmodule may be mounted by a simple inserting operation with the innerbody, thereby remarkably improving assembly workability andproductivity.

The handle may protrude from one side of the body, and the operationportion for controlling the operation of the heating module and thedisplay for displaying the temperature of the heated fluid may beprovided on the protruding portion of the handle. Therefore, the fluidmay be heated to a set temperature by a user's one-handed operation,thereby facilitating temperature control and improving the userconvenience. In addition, as the electric wire connected between theoperation portion of the handle and the heating module passes throughthe heat insulation space of the body, a separate electric wirearrangement structure may be omitted, thereby providing a more concisestructure and improving productivity.

The body, the upper body, and the base may be configured to have thesame outer diameter, and thus, there is an advantage that thecylindrical appearance structure has a sense of unity as a whole. Inparticular, the body and the upper body may be made of the same metalmaterial and the outer surface of the base may also be made of the samemetal material, further enhancing the sense of unity of the overallappearance. In addition, the body, the upper body, and the base may becoplanar, and in particular, the heating module may be disposed insideof the body. Therefore, it is possible to minimize exposure of theconfiguration that may feel a heterogeneity when the body is directlyseated on the base, thereby further improving the sense of unity of theoverall appearance.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide an electric kettle capable ofimproving heat insulation performance and reducing power consumption.Embodiments disclosed herein further provide an electric kettle that iseasy to clean and manage. Embodiments disclosed herein furthermoreprovides an electric kettle capable of improving assemblability andproductivity.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide an electric kettle that makes iteasy to control fluid temperature. Embodiments disclosed herein alsoprovide an electric kettle capable of improving ease of use. Embodimentsdisclosed herein additionally provide an electric kettle having anappearance with a sense of unity to thereby improve the appearance.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, a body of a cylindrical shapemay have an open upper surface and an open lower surface and includingan outer body forming an outer surface and an inner body forming aninner surface, and a heat insulation space may be formed between theinner body and the outer body. Fluid, such as water inside of the bodymay be heated by a heating module that partitions the inner body.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the electric kettle mayinclude a body of a cylindrical shape having an open upper surface andan open lower surface, an upper body provided on an upper end of thebody, a lid inserted into the upper body to open and close the body, anda base on which the body is seated so as to supply power.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the electric kettle mayinclude a body of a cylindrical shape having an open upper surface andan open lower surface, and a heating module inserted through the openlower surface of the body to partition an inner space of the bodyvertically. The heating module may be fixedly mounted on an innersurface of the body.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the electric kettle mayinclude a body having an outer body and an inner body, a heating moduleprovided below the body, and a handle provided at one side of the bodyand including an operation portion operated by a user. An electric wirethat connects the operation portion and the heating module may passthrough a gap between the outer body and the inner body. The handle mayfurther include a display configured to display a temperature of fluid.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the electric kettle mayinclude a body of a cylindrical shape, an upper body provided at anupper end of the body, a heating module provided in the body topartition the body and heat an inside of the body, and a base on which alower surface of the body may be seated and which supplies power. Theupper body, the body, and the base may be formed to have a same outerdiameter and may be made of a same material.

According to embodiments disclosed herein, the electric kettle mayinclude a body formed in a cylindrical shape having an open uppersurface and an open lower surface, the body defining a space in whichfluid, such as water may be contained; an upper body mounted on an upperend of the body and communicating with the open upper surface of thebody; a lid seated on the upper body to open and close the open uppersurface of the body; a heating module inserted and mounted through theopen lower surface of the body to partition an inside of the bodyvertically and heat fluid inside of the body; and a base on which thelower surface of the body may be seated and which transfers powerapplied from outside to the heating module when the body is seated. Thebody may include an outer body forming an outer surface and an innerbody forming an inner surface, and the heating module may be mounted onthe inner surface of the inner body.

The inner body and the outer body may be made of stainless steel. Theupper body may be made of a same material as that of the body and may beformed in a ring shape having a same outer diameter as that of the outersurface of the outer body and extending upward.

The inner body and the outer body may be spaced apart from each other toform a heat insulation space. The upper end and the lower end of theinner body and the outer body may be connected to each other, andopenings that communicate with the heat insulation space may be formedin the inner body and the outer body.

Embodiments disclosed herein may further include a handle provided inthe upper body and having an operation portion configured to operate theheating module, and an electric wire that connects the operation portionto the heating module may pass through the heat insulation space via theopening. The opening may include an electric wire inlet open in theinner body and communicating with a space in which the heating module isdisposed, and an electric wire outlet open at the upper end of the bodyand communicating with the inside of the handle.

The upper body may have a same outer diameter as that of the outer body.The lower end of the upper body may have a same inner diameter as thatof the inner body. The inner diameter of the upper body may be largerthan the inner diameter of the inner body. The outer diameter of theouter body may be equal to the outer diameter of the upper body and thebase.

The outer surface of the upper body, the outer surface of the body, andthe outer surface of the base may be continuously disposed in a verticaldirection on a same plane. A space between the heating module and theupper body may be formed to have a same inner diameter from the upperend to the lower end.

A mounting portion configured to mount the heating module may be formedinside of the inner body. The mounting portion may be formed to behigher than the lower end of the inner body. The mounting portion may beformed by protruding or recessing the inner body at a positioncorresponding to a circumference of the heating module.

An elastic packing may be provided between the mounting portion and theheating module. The lower end of the inner body may extend furtherdownward than the lower end of the outer body, and a bottom coverforming the bottom surface of the body may be connected to the extendedlower end of the inner body.

A rim that protrudes upward to support the lower end of the outer bodymay be formed around the base. The bottom cover may be accommodated inan inner space of the rim.

The base and the outer body may be formed to have a same outer diameter.A circumferential surface of the base may be made of a same stainlesssteel as that of the outer body.

A lid support that protrudes to support a lower surface of the lid maybe formed on the inner surface of the upper body. The upper surface ofthe lid may be positioned at a position corresponding to the upper endof the upper body in a state in which the lid is seated on the lidsupport.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide an electric kettle that may includea body formed in a cylindrical shape having an open upper surface and anopen lower surface and having a double wall structure in which a heatinsulation space may be defined; a lid configured to open and close theopen upper surface of the body; a heating module inserted and mountedthrough the open lower surface of the body to partition an inside of thebody vertically and heat fluid, such as water contained in the body; anda base on which the lower surface of the body may be seated and whichtransfers power applied from an outside to the heating module when thebody is seated.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description. Other features will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on” another element or layer, the element or layer can bedirectly on another element or layer or intervening elements or layers.In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on”another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layerspresent. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and allcombinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third,etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components,regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These termsare only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element,component, region, layer or section could be termed a second element,component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachingsof the present invention.

Spatially relative terms, such as “lower”, “upper” and the like, may beused herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of oneelement or feature to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated inthe figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms areintended to encompass different orientations of the device in use oroperation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. Forexample, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements describedas “lower” relative to other elements or features would then be oriented“upper” relative to the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplaryterm “lower” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. Thedevice may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at otherorientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used hereininterpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Embodiments of the disclosure are described herein with reference tocross-section illustrations that are schematic illustrations ofidealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) of the disclosure.As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result,for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, embodiments of the disclosure should not be construed aslimited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but areto include deviations in shapes that result, for example, frommanufacturing.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances ofsuch phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection withany embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of oneskilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number ofillustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerousother modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled inthe art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles ofthis disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modificationsare possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subjectcombination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawingsand the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications inthe component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also beapparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electric kettle, comprising: a body formed ina cylindrical shape having an open upper surface and an open lowersurface, the body defining a space in which fluid is contained; an upperbody mounted on an upper end of the body and communicating with the openupper surface of the body; a lid seated on the upper body to open andclose the open upper surface of the body; a heating module inserted andmounted through the open lower surface of the body to partition aninside of the body vertically and heat fluid inside of the body; and abase on which the lower surface of the body is seated and whichtransfers power applied from outside to the heating module when the bodyis seated, wherein the body comprises an outer body forming an outersurface and an inner body forming an inner surface, and wherein theheating module is mounted on the inner surface of the inner body.
 2. Theelectric kettle according to claim 1, wherein the inner body and theouter body are made of stainless steel.
 3. The electric kettle accordingto claim 2, wherein the upper body is made of a same material as amaterial of the body, and wherein the upper body is formed in a ringshape having a same outer diameter as an outer diameter of an outersurface of the outer body and extending upward.
 4. The electric kettleaccording to claim 1, wherein the inner body and the outer body arespaced apart from each other to form a heat insulation space.
 5. Theelectric kettle according to claim 4, wherein upper ends and lower endsof the inner body and the outer body are connected to each other, andwherein openings that communicate with the heat insulation space areformed in the inner body and the outer body.
 6. The electric kettleaccording to claim 5, further comprising a handle provided on the upperbody and having an operation portion configured to operate the heatingmodule, wherein an electric wire that connects the operation portion tothe heating module passes through the heat insulation space via theopenings.
 7. The electric kettle according to claim 6, wherein theopenings comprise: an electric wire inlet open in the inner body andcommunicating with a space in which the heating module is disposed; andan electric wire outlet open at the upper end of the body andcommunicating with an inside of the handle.
 8. The electric kettleaccording to claim 4, wherein the upper body has a same outer diameteras an outer diameter of the outer body, and wherein a lower end of theupper body has a same inner diameter as an inner diameter of the innerbody.
 9. The electric kettle according to claim 4, wherein an innerdiameter of the upper body is larger than an inner diameter of the innerbody.
 10. The electric kettle according to claim 1, wherein an outerdiameter of the outer body is equal to an outer diameter of the upperbody and the base.
 11. The electric kettle according to claim 1, whereinan outer surface of the upper body, the outer surface of the body, andan outer surface of the base are continuously disposed in a verticaldirection on a same plane.
 12. The electric kettle according to claim 1,wherein a space between the heating module and the upper body is formedto have a same inner diameter from an upper end to a lower end.
 13. Theelectric kettle according to claim 1, wherein a mounting portionconfigured to mount the heating module is formed inside of the innerbody, and wherein the mounting portion is formed to be higher than alower end of the inner body.
 14. The electric kettle according to claim13, wherein the mounting portion is formed by protruding or recessingthe inner body at a position corresponding to a circumference of theheating module.
 15. The electric kettle according to claim 14, whereinan elastic packing is provided between the mounting portion and theheating module.
 16. The electric kettle according to claim 1, wherein alower end of the inner body extends further downward than a lower end ofthe outer body, and wherein a bottom cover that forms a bottom surfaceof the body is connected to an extended lower end of the inner body. 17.The electric kettle according to claim 16, wherein a rim that protrudesupward to support the lower end of the outer body is formed around thebase, and wherein the bottom cover is accommodated in an inner space ofthe rim.
 18. The electric kettle according to claim 17, wherein the baseand the outer body are formed to have a same outer diameter, and whereina circumferential surface of the base is made of a same stainless steelas the outer body.
 19. The electric kettle according to claim 1, whereina lid support that protrudes to support a lower surface of the lid isformed on an inner surface of the upper body, and wherein an uppersurface of the lid is positioned at a position corresponding to an upperend of the upper body in a state in which the lid is seated on the lidsupport.
 20. An electric kettle, comprising: a body formed in acylindrical shape having an open upper surface and an open lower surfaceand having a double wall structure having a heat insulation spacedefined therein; a lid configured to open and close the open uppersurface of the body; a heating module inserted and mounted through theopen lower surface of the body to partition an inside of the bodyvertically and heat fluid contained in the body; and a base on which thelower surface of the body is seated and which transfers power appliedfrom outside to the heating module when the body is seated.
 21. Anelectric kettle, comprising: a body having an open upper surface and anopen lower surface, and a double wall structure having a heat insulationspace defined therein; an upper body mounted on an upper end of the bodyand communicating with the open upper surface of the body; a lid seatedon the upper body to open and close the open upper surface of the body;a heating module inserted and mounted through the open lower surface ofthe body to partition an inside of the body vertically and heat fluidinside of the body; and a base on which the lower surface of the body isseated and which transfers power applied from outside to the heatingmodule when the body is seated, wherein a mounting portion formed byprotruding or recessing an inner wall of the double wall structure at aposition corresponding to a circumference of the heating module isformed at a position higher than a lower end of the inner wall.
 22. Theelectric kettle according to claim 21, wherein an elastic packing isprovided between the mounting portion and the heating module.